The increased popularity of fast-food establishments, coupled with the popularity of consumption of food and beverages on-the-go, have led to the need for more convenient and safer takeout packaging.
Currently, a consumer wishing to drink from a takeout beverage container has two standard options: sipping the beverage through a sip hole in the lid of the beverage container, as is common for hot drinks such as coffee; or sucking the beverage through a straw placed into the beverage container, as is common for drinks consumed cold, such as sodas. Sip holes, typically used for hot beverages, require the consumer to take small sips to avoid scalding. While many consumers would prefer a controlled or regulated delivery of their hot beverage, standard straws do not allow for the liquid to cool to a comfortable temperature before reaching the consumer's mouth and thus have the potential to cause burns. Both straws and sip holes can be hazardous when the consumer is engaged in an activity, such as driving or walking, which requires maintaining his or her eyes forward to watch the path ahead, and which may involve sudden stops. The consumer may have to look down and away from the road while drinking from a straw or may have his or her forward vision obstructed by the beverage container while tipping it back to drink via a sip hole. Straws are also potentially dangerous if the consumer's head happens to decelerate quickly while drinking, for example when braking unexpectedly during a drive. In that case, the straw may stab the consumer in the roof of her or his mouth. While some straws incorporate a flexible portion to allow the consumer to keep his or her eyes forward, they do not eliminate this risk of stabbing, and further must be sized particularly for each height of beverage container.
Existing takeout beverage and food containers are also inconvenient, requiring the consumer to set aside a sandwich to take a drink, for example; or, in the case of a beverage container with a lid that accepts a snap-on food container, the food container must be decoupled in order for the consumer to sip a hot drink through a sip hole.
What is therefore needed is a straw that overcomes these drawbacks and fosters convenient on-the-go drinking.